A still image of mother pigs being kept in “gestation crates” at a farm in Kentucky that supplies pork to Greeley-based meatpacking giant, JBS USA. An undercover activist shot video inside the facility between December 2017 and March 2018. The nonprofit organization Mercy for Animals says the footage uncovered abuses and the damaging impacts of keeping pigs in the small crates.

The investigator shot video footage inside the Franklin, Ky., facility between December and March, the nonprofit says. While there, he taped workers engaging in a variety of violent behavior. Video clips show pigs being punched, kicked and beaten with tools. Piglets are allegedly castrated and have their teeth cut without anesthesia, according to Mercy for Animals. In perhaps the most upsetting portion of the short video, workers are seen bashing piglets heads on concrete floors.

“Pigs are every bit as capable of experiencing pain and suffering as the dogs and cats we all know and love,” Lindsay Wolf, Mercy for Animals’ vice president of investigations, said at Tuesday’s news conference. “The abuse uncovered by our investigator is simply unacceptable.”

JBS, in a statement emailed to The Denver Post on Tuesday, decried the conduct seen in the video and said it has stopped accepting shipments from Tosh Farms until it fully investigates how the supplier treats its animals.

“JBS USA does not tolerate the abuse of animals under any circumstances,” the statement says. “We expect all livestock to be handled in a safe and humane manner throughout our supply chain. Animal welfare is a priority for our company and our customers. We will ensure that all of our suppliers adhere to our high standards for animal care.”

Beyond physical abuse, Mercy for Animals said its investigator observed evidence that female pigs being kept in small cages — known as “gestation crates” — are suffering psychological trauma. The nonprofit’s video shows pigs biting and gnawing on the bars of their cages. The crates are too small for the pigs to turn around or lie down comfortably, activists claim.

Mercy for Animals wants JBS to go beyond suspending ties with Tosh Farms. It is calling on the industry standard- bearer to ban the use of gestation crates in its supply chain.

“As the world’s largest meat producer, JBS has the power and the responsibility to end this horrific abuse,” Wolf said. “These are common-sense changes that would greatly alleviate the needless suffering for million of animals.”

Colorado is among 10 states that ban the use of gestation crates, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. California, which also bans the crates, has a law up for statewide vote this year that would require all meat sold in the state to be produced in a manner that conforms with state animal treatment laws, regardless of where it is sourced. That means meat can not come from producers that use the crates even in states where they are legal.

Mercy for Animals has launched a website called jbstorture.com with more information. An edited clip of the organization’s undercover footage can be found here: dpo.st/undercovervideo. Wolf said the organization has filed a criminal complaint with local authorities in Kentucky over the conduct observed at the Tosh facility.

WARNING: This video contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some viewers.

Joe Rubino focuses on consumer news for The Denver Post. He wrote for the Broomfield Enterprise, Boulder Daily Camera and YourHub before joining the Post's business team in 2017. A Denver native, he attended Kennedy High School and the CU journalism school. He once flew a plane for 30 seconds on assignment.

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